Wingate, N.C.----The Wingate University Bulldogs will welcome Anderson University to Cuddy Arena Wednesday night for a key South Atlantic Conference men’s basketball contest at 8 p.m. The first-place Bulldogs enter the game 16-6 overall and 12-2 in the SAC, one game up in the loss column on the Trojans, who are 15-7 overall and 11-3 in the conference.

The Bulldogs have won four straight and are coming off a dominant 120-72 victory over Mars Hill Saturday. Senior guard Paidrick Matilus (Boynton Beach, Fla.) led six players in double figures with 20 points, as Wingate scored its most points since scoring 124 in 2000. Senior forward Odell Turner (Charlotte, N.C.) added 18 points and 10 boars, while senior Ethan Kincaid (Morganton, N.C.) piled up 12 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Juniors Jeff Parker (Madison, N.C.) and Deion Turman (Pittsburgh, Pa.) contributed 13 points each, combining to go 12-for-14 from the field. The Bulldogs set season highs in points, field goals made (52), field goal percentage (64.2 percent), three-pointers made (9), three-point percentage (60 percent), rebounds (56), assists (32) and blocked shots (8).

Wingate registered a 78-65 victory over Newberry in Cuddy Arena last Wednesday. Matilus led the way with 18 points and eight rebounds, while Turner added 15 points, seven rebounds and four assists. Kincaid had 14 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Parker contributed 13 points and nine boards, going six-for-six from the field. The 65 points Wingate held the Wolves to was the second lowest output of the season for the nation’s third-highest scoring offense. Only the 42 points the Bulldogs held Newberry to on its own floor last month was a lower output for a Wolves team averaging 89.2 points per contest.

The Bulldogs and Trojans have met five times over the past year and a half, including four matchups last season. After Anderson won both regular season meetings, Wingate defeated the Trojans to win the Food Lion SAC Tournament title. Anderson would then beat the Bulldogs in the NCAA regional semifinals. In the first meeting this season, the Bulldogs left Anderson with a 66-55 victory. Turman had 16 points and 14 rebounds, while Matilus added 16 points on five-of-eight shooting. Kincaid contributed 13 points, while Turner chipped in with 12 points and eight rebounds. Myson Jones and Chandler Hash led the Trojans with 10 points each. Wingate held reigning SAC Player of the Year Denzail Jones to six points on two-of-12 shooting.

Wingate’s balanced attack has three players scoring over 10.5 points per game and seven scoring more than 6.5 points per contest. Matilus and Turner are tied for the team lead with 11.7 points per game. Turner is second in the league with 8.7 rebounds per game, while ranking seventh in the SAC in field goal percentage (53.3 percent). The preseason All-SAC selection is third in the league in field goal percentage during conference games (59.7 percent). Sophomore guard Ryan Daye (Burlington, N.C.) is third on the team with 10.9 points per game, ranking second in the league in three-point percentage (49.1 percent).

Turman is averaging 8.4 points per game, while ranking fifth in the league with 7.2 rebounds per contest. He is shooting a league-best 64.3 percent from the field and has been even better during league games (66.7 percent). Kincaid is third in the SAC with 4.2 assists per game, while ranking eighth in assist-to-turnover ratio. Parker is third in the conference with 1.4 blocks per game.

Denzail Jones leads the Trojans and ranks second in the conference with 18.8 points per game. Hash ranks fifth with 16.8 points per contests. Hash ranks second in the league, hitting 3.2 triples per game while shooting 45.5 percent from beyond the arc. Jones makes a league-best 4.8 free throws per game, shooting 82.1 percent from the free throw line.

In 14 conference games this season, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by a total of 238 points, with n league-best average margin of victory of 17 points. Of Wingate’s 12 SAC wins, 11 have double-digit victories. The Bulldogs have won six league games by more than 20 points, including two wins of more than 35 points. In SAC contests, Wingate leads the league in margin of victory, field goal percentage, field goal percentage defense, three-point percentage defense, assists per game and blocks per game.